Section 2       

Early Childhood Program Summary (printable version)

 

Eastern Michigan University is a four-year comprehensive university situated approximately forty-miles west of Detroit, in Ypsilanti, Michigan.  Approximately 24,000 students attend this University.  The teacher preparation program in elementary education at Eastern Michigan University is one of the largest in the nation.

 

College of Education Mission:  The mission of the College of Education is to create an exemplary educational environment to develop the intellectual curiosity, creativity, critical and reflective thinking and problem solving abilities of its students so that they may become ethical, productive and contributing participants in a democratic society.  The recently revised and programmatic theme for initial teacher certification programs (approved in December 2001) is “Caring Professional Educators for a Diverse and Democratic Society.”  The word “Democratic” was added, and two parts from the former theme—Reflective and knowledgeable—are subsumed under “professional.”  The list of Teacher Education Program Outcomes below has been aligned with the Michigan Beginning Teacher Outcomes, INTACSC, and ACEI.  

 

  • Caring educators are committed to all students’ learning within supportive learning communities.  They are student focused and persistent in pursuing high and appropriate expectations for all students.
  • Professional educators are knowledgeable regarding content, pedagogy and educational technologies
  • Professional educators are reflective in their practice.
  • Professional educators demonstrate professional dispositions and communication skills.
  • Educators for a diverse and democratic society celebrate diversity in schools and communities.  They prepare students for active participation in a democracy through nurturing critical thinking, creative thinking, and problem solving within communities.

 

Early Childhood Program Summary:

 

A.        Early Childhood Education is an approved elementary education minor in the College of Education at Eastern Michigan University.  Students pursuing the Early Childhood Education minor complete 26 credit hours of course work specific to young children birth through age eight.  The objectives of the courses meet the criteria established by the State of Michigan and the National Association for the Education of Young Children.  Each student must successfully complete work in the area of child development and learning, curriculum development and implementation, family and community relationships, assessment and evaluation, and professionalism and program leadership.  Specific class activities and assignments are incorporated in the classes, practicum experiences, and/or the student teaching placements to ensure each student meets the objectives.  Adhering to the philosophy that one constructs knowledge over time and after many repetitive experiences; we take the approach of integrating specific content into more than one course. 

 

B.         An early childhood education student has the opportunity to revisit a concept over the course of their professional preparation and build upon his or her learning.  Each broad area is primarily covered in one course, but the learning is scaffolded in other classes.

 

(The primary focus course is listed first, and bolded.  The subject is also covered in classes listed in regular type.)

 

1.  Child Development and Learning:   CURR 214, CURR 314, EDPS

318, HPRD 479

 

  1. Curriculum Development and Implementation:  CURR 302, 303

 

  1. Family and Community Relationships: CURR 302,  EDUC 495, EDPS 307

 

  1. Assessment and Evaluation: EDPS 341

 

  1. Professionalism and Program Leadership:  CURR 215, CURR 303, EDUC 495

 

  1. Field Experiences:   CURR 214, CURR 303, CURR 302, EDUC 495, EDPS 341

 

Students are active learners in their education.  Much of the course content is designed to be interactive between students, young children, faculty, lead teachers in the EMU Children’s Institute and other preschool programs.  Many opportunities are provided for students to gather information during an observation visit or practicum placement and then reflect on what they observe or tried with young children.  The instructors or lead teachers assist the students in drawing conclusions and making teaching decisions based on best practices.  The use of technology is incorporated into the various early childhood courses in many ways.  For example, students locate information on the World Wide Web or share with other teachers innovative teaching methods using different media.

 

C.        Students at Eastern Michigan University following the sequence of courses for the minor in Early Childhood Education also complete all of the required courses for the Elementary Certification program.  The minor is an additional 26 credit hours.  The numbering of the courses generally requires students to take 100 level courses prior to taking 200 level, which are taken prior to 300 level courses, etc.  Students at Eastern Michigan University tend to be non-traditional undergraduate students.  The average EMU undergraduate student is a 27 year old female with prior work experience.  We have found this to be true in the Early Childhood minor.  The majority of our students have been working; many with young children in local child care centers, and continue to work while completing their degree.  They take an average of 6 years to graduate.  These students often have had prior teaching experience, but it may have been in programs not following developmentally appropriate practices.  This makes for challenging teaching in the university classroom.   They have seen practices in operation, such as the use of worksheets and workbooks with three- and four-year-olds, and believe those practices to be effective with young children.   Course readings, class discussions, and reflective assignments all are carefully chosen to help students make appropriate teaching decisions based on literature on best practices for young children.  All undergraduate students are required to purchase a copy of Developmentally Appropriate Practice in Early Childhood Programs, Revised Edition (1997) edited by Bredekamp and Copple and published by NAEYC.  This book is used in each of the early childhood classes at various times throughout the semester.  In addition, the faculty makes use of Early Childhood Standard of Quality for Prekindergarten through Second Grade (1992) published by the Michigan State Board of Education Early Childhood Education, Parenting, and Comprehensive School Health Unit. 

 

    The first courses the students take in the minor are CURR 214 The Developing Child & CURR 215 the Developing Professional.  The courses are taken concurrently and also include a 3-hour practicum experience each week in the Children’s Institute on EMU’s campus.  The institute is an NAEYC accredited program which serves 150 children from 18 mouths through age five.  Undergraduate students are placed with the 2 ½ to five-year-olds.  These courses, and practicum experience, serve as the underpinning of the program.  The students are introduced to young children and focus on developing their knowledge base of basic child development principles in CURR 214.  In CURR 215, the profession of caring for and educating young children is explored and the qualities of a caring, knowledgeable, and reflective professional are covered.  Students may take these courses prior to being admitted to the College of Education.  Admission requires a student of have taken at least 56 credit hours, maintain a 2.5 grade point average, and successfully have passed the Stat Basic Skills test.  After taking CURR 214 & 215, a student may take the other courses in the program.  CURR 302 & 303 follow a similar pattern with both taken concurrently along with a 3-hour advanced practicum experience, also in the Children’s Institute.  A key strength of the minor is the collaboration between faculty who teach CURR 215 & CURR 303.  Both courses require reflective assignments to be carried out in the Children’s Institute and provide a foundation for future course work, or draw from previous work, to enhance the students’ learning.  There is no required sequence for the electives the students must take.  Four choices are provided, and the student must select three of the four.  Each was carefully chosen to reflect the NAEYC and State of Michigan Early Childhood guidelines.  The students take EDPS 341 Developmental Assessment of the Young Child either concurrently with their methods courses (CURR 302 & 303) or during their student teaching placement.

D. Not applicable

 

E.      The faculty work very hard to provide a wide variety of pre-student teaching and student teaching placements with children from diverse background.  We use Head Start Centers, private full day child care centers, university based programs, employer sponsored and non-profit child care programs for placements.  In addition many of our students do pre-student teaching placements at one of the 15 Detroit Public Schools Comer Schools with which EMU has a relationship.  The population of children is very diverse, including many African American and Asian children.  Our students are expected to recognize, plan for, and react sensitively to children's ethnic and cultural backgrounds.  Our faculty includes two professors from Africa, one a native of Cameroon, the other a native of South Africa.  Other faculty members are very active in travel and professional study endeavors in other countries.  During the 1997 summer session two early childhood faculty led a three credit study trip to England which focused on the British Primary Schools.  Nine Undergraduate students chose to participate in the trip. This brings a global perspective to our program.

 

F. Not applicable

 

Common Principles in Early Childhood Education.

 

In addition to the NAEYC standards our faculty hold in common the following beliefs and principles:

 

  • Developmentally appropriate practice means planning for and adapting our teaching to the “typical” child of the age we teach, as well as to the actual child we are teaching, taking into account the child’s context, or family, culture, etc.

 

  • The process is more important than the product

 

  • Children need many concrete objects to manipulate over time before abstractions like letters, words, numerals, and numbers make sense to them.  A child who counts on her fingers is using them as manipulatives!

 

  • Children are motoric beings—they are meant to move about most of the time.

 

  • Children need to be given choices every day.  Choices allow them to feel in control and help them learn to take responsibility.  They also reduce behavior problems.

 

  • Children must practice problem solving and decision making themselves, rather than having adults solve problems and make decisions for them.

 

  • Children can and should learn internal self-control, rather than always being externally controlled by adults.

 

  • Children think differently than adults.  When they have “wrong” answers, those answers are “right” to them.

 

  • Children think differently than adults.  When they have “wrong” answers, those answers are “right” to them.

 

  • Curriculum should be based upon children’s interests and prior knowledge.  Our term for that is “emergent curriculum.”

 

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